Dare (Three Nights with a Scoundrel) pairs up an educated spinster and a wounded hero in this delightful Regency, the first in the Spindle Cove series. Lt. Col. Victor "Bram" Bramwell is traveling with fellow soldiers when a flock of sheep stalls them. They set explosives to scatter the sheep, but Susanna Finch, a woman living nearby, gets too close. Fortunately, Bram knocks her out of harm's way just in time. The instant attraction between Susanna and Bram is complicated by Bram's having just inherited a title, a crumbling castle, and the right to summon a militia. The last will be nearly impossible in the peaceful woman-dominated community of Spindle Cove, where few are thrilled by the military newcomers. Enticing romantic encounters are matched by witty conversations that slowly and seamlessly reveal deep truths about Dare's endearing one-of-a-kind characters. (Sept.)

Furious that a militia is being recruited in her beloved Spindle Cove, a tiny seaside town that she has turned into a haven for young women, Susanna Finch takes on the arrogant commander, Victor Bramwell, a protégé of her inventor father and the new Earl of Rycliff. But the earl is not quite what she expected, and while her goal to keep her women's retreat safe from outside influences remains the same, her opinions of Bram do not. VERDICT Lively and sexy, this funny, enjoyable battle of the sexes ensnares readers in a delightful adventure that is another charmer in Dare's growing list and the first in a new trilogy. Dare (Three Nights with a Scoundrel) lives in Southern California.